A powerful X5.16 class flare has been recorded on the Sun — this is the strongest solar flare of 2025 and one of the largest in recent years. The maximum radiation was recorded at 13:04 Moscow time, according to the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
According to preliminary estimates by scientists, the flare is 10–20 times more powerful than all events of recent months. Astrophysicists note that the explosion occurred in a zone directed towards the Earth, so the impact on our planet is not excluded. In the coming hours, experts will clarify whether the plasma will reach the Earth and whether it will cause geomagnetic disturbances.
The last time a flare of comparable power was observed was in October 2024, but then it occurred on the edge of the solar disk and did not have a noticeable impact on Earth.
According to researchers, the large-scale event completely "flooded" the active region of the Sun with radiation — even details cannot be distinguished in the first frames, since the luminosity turned out to be record-breaking. The flare triggered a chain reaction of secondary explosions in neighboring regions, which indicates the highest energy of the process.
